KOCHI: Two persons were nabbed with 1.2kg of ambergris (whale vomit) on Saturday. The accused, Jinesh, 39, and Soumithran, 38, both residents of Puthuvype, Kochi, were apprehended by a special squad of the Kochi City police. The duo was arrested under the Wildlife Protection Act for both possession and intended sale of ambergris, said a personnel with the Palluruthy Kasaba police station.
The accused persons were nabbed when they were transporting the ambergris to sell it after fixing a price with a buyer. The substance is estimated to be worth around Rs 2 crore in the international market, he said. Following the apprehension and the seizure, both the accused and the seized ambergris were handed over to the officials with Erumeli forest office for further legal action, the officer added.
On August 6, the Kochi City police seized approximately 1.5kg of ambergris, valued at around Rs 2.5 crore in the international market, which had been smuggled into Kochi from Lakshadweep for illegal sale.